Nashville, Tenn. -- Jama Sharp led the way with 22 points and Amber Porter added 20 points of her own as visiting Stetson held off Lipscomb 82-77 Saturday evening at Allen Arena.
Sharp also collected nine rebounds and five steals as the Hatters (16-5, 5-2 Atlantic Sun) bounced back from Thursday's loss at Northern Kentucky to post their 16th win of the season.
"It was an important win for us because we didn't play well in our last game," Stetson head coach Lynn Bria said. "Sometimes you lose a game like that and you lose your confidence. However, this team has a toughness to them, we have seen that, and hopefully we can become more consistent on both ends of the floor."
Saturday's contest was a hard-fought affair as both teams were whistled for a combined 49 fouls. Stetson led by as many as 13 points in the first half and 16 in the second half before withstanding a late Lady Bisons run.
"I thought we were fortunate to get a win," Bria said. "I felt like we started the game really well and started the second half really well. We pressed them a little bit in the second half and got a little cushion. However, they are a team that shoots 3's so well that they are always in the game."
Lipscomb (8-13, 3-4) hit 11 3-pointers for the game, including five by Danay Fothergill, who finished with 24 points.
Stetson opened the game hitting its first seven shots from the floor to take 23-10 lead. Lipscomb rallied back to tie the score at 25 before Stetson settled for a 35-33 halftime lead. Brianti Saunders scored 16 of her 18 points in the first 20 minutes.
The Hatters used a 10-0 run early in the second half to grab a 47-36 lead at the 16:50 mark. Stetson then increased the lead to 62-46 on DeAsia Beal's 3-pointer with 12:12 to play, and the Hatters still led by 14 with 5:52 to go. However, Lipscomb rallied to within six points with 2:19 to play and to within four with 26 seconds on the clock, but the Hatters hit enough free throws down the stretch to preserve the victory.
"I thought we did a good job of hanging in there and playing through their run," Bria said.
Stetson shot 47 percent from the field and outrebounded Lipscomb 40-29. Stetson went 24-for-35 from the free throw line, including a 9-for-10 effort from Saunders. Porter blocked three shots and converted six of her 10 field goal attempts.
"Brianti really carried us in the first half," Bria said. "I thought Jama overall had a great game on both ends of the floor. Amber had a great game, but she got in foul trouble so that hurt us a little bit. Sarah (Sagerer) came in and gave us some good minutes. I thought our bench did a great job."
Stetson finished the first half of conference play with a 5-2 mark. The Hatters will play four of their final seven games at home, including next Saturday's showdown with Florida Gulf Coast at the Edmunds Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. with live coverage on ESPN3.
Notes: Stetson has won 12 straight games following a loss (5-0 this season) ... Jama Sharp picked up four assists to increase her career total to 399 ... Stetson has won eight straight games vs. Lipscomb ... The Hatters 82 points was the team's third highest total against a Division I opponent this year ... The last time Stetson had two players score 20 points in the same game was Saunders (23) and Sharp (22) vs. Utah State on Nov. 30, 2014.
